The first Sunday of Advent falls on 29 November this year. From now, there are six weeks left. That is enough for one small project a week, and all six stay at home with you.
The gifts have their own list. This one is for your hands, your head and the kitchen counter.
Week 1: the dishcloth
Pure – The Dishcloth is knitted back and forth in cotton on 3.5 mm needles. One ball is enough. The pattern teaches you garter stitch: you knit every stitch, on every row. The pattern is marked Beginner.
Knit two. One hangs by the sink, and one waits in the drawer.
I have mine in black, green, yellow, blue and pink, and swap them with the seasons. I got both the cloths and the pattern from a good friend, and she has let me pass it on. They are the only dishcloths I use. They are easy to wipe with, they dry quickly themselves, and they stay nice in the wash. Be careful with the yarn — that is what decides whether the cloth turns out like this.
Week 2: wrist warmers for dark mornings
Live, Love, Matter – The Wrist Warmers have three variations in the same pattern. One is ribbed, one has a cable, and the third is in garter stitch. All three get embroidered flowers and text at the end. They are knitted in the round in Puno on 5 mm needles and are 22.5 cm long.
Choose the texture you want to look at every time you lift your coffee cup. You do the embroidery with leftover yarn you have lying around.
Week 3: a hat with gold at the edge
Golden Champagne – The Beanie is marked Beginner. Three strands are held together all the way, on 7 mm needles. The folded brim is the ribbing at the bottom, folded up so it lies double over your ears. It is knitted in alpaca, Champagne and gold thread. Above it, the rest of the hat is knitted in natural white alpaca, and the gold thread comes along.
The hat is One Size, and the ribbing stretches to fit a head circumference of 52–58 cm.
Week 4: three colour blocks
Bjørk – The Beanie is built from the bottom up in three blocks: camel, blue and light beige. The gold thread runs through every block. The pattern is mock cables. A mock cable looks crossed, but no stitches are crossed, so you don't need a cable needle.
The hat comes in five sizes, XS to XL, and is knitted on 7 mm needles. Measure your head before you cast on, and choose your size by your head circumference.
Week 5: mittens with silver
The Mittens are knitted in Tjukk Mohair in bright pink, held together with Concorde silver thread. The cuff is long and folded. The rest of the mitten is worked in mock cable, all the way up to the top.
You knit in the round on 5 mm double-pointed needles, and the pattern has five sizes. There are two mittens, so give them the week to themselves. One can hang on the hook by the door while the other comes together.
Week 6: the neck warmer
A Sky Full of Stars – The Neck is a high neck warmer in alpaca, mohair and gold thread, three strands together on 7 mm needles. It opens at the side and closes with two clasps or buttons. You choose them yourself. Gold lifts the shine in the yarn, matt metal keeps it quiet.
The neck warmer comes in three sizes, S, M and L. It sits over your sweater or under your coat, and it is ready for the Sunday the candles are lit.
When the candles are lit
Six weeks is a plan, not a rule. If you change the order or skip a week, nobody is counting.
I often knit a Christmas present myself in the weeks before Advent. Often a sweater that will lie under the tree, or small gifts for potential daughters-in-law and good friends.
More small projects are gathered under Quick projects. If you get stuck on a technique, it is explained with video in Knittipedia.
Pure – The Dishcloth and Live, Love, Matter – The Wrist Warmers are free with the code GRATIS at checkout. The code applies to one pattern per customer.
The first candle is lit. The mittens hang on the hook by the door.
Did you know …
The first Advent wreath was lit on the first Sunday of Advent in 1839, at Das Rauhe Haus outside Hamburg. The German theologian Johann Hinrich Wichern made it for the children who lived there. The wreath was made of wood, as big as a wagon wheel and without spruce. It had four white candles for the Sundays and one small red candle for each weekday leading up to Christmas.
Source: evangelisch.de, Der Adventskranz wurde vor den Toren Hamburgs erfunden
Sources: evangelisch.de, Der Adventskranz wurde vor den Toren Hamburgs erfunden.
Anne-Turid <3